Safety device for car-door-operating mechanisms



I. F. OCDNNOR.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISIVIS'.

APPLICATION FILED SEPVT. 29. |919. 1,37%?1 @o Fig] Patented Mm. 29, IIDZL- f L JI 46 JQHN F.v OCONNOR, OF CHCAGO, LLINOS, ASSGNOR T0 WILLIAIM H, MINER, CRAZY, NEW' YORK. l

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CAR-DOOR-OPERATING.- MECI-IANISMS.

Specification of Letters Patent. v

Patented Mar.. 29, 1921i.

Application filed September 29, 1919. Serial No. 327,192.

ZO all who/m, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCoNNoR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and yState of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Safety Devices -for Car-Door-@perating Mechanisms, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and eX-` act description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements 1n safety devices for car door operating mechanisms.

ln the operation of freight cars such as hopper, general service and ballast cars, frequentinjury to the operators has heretofore occurred due to the sudden loads placed upon the door operating mechanism during the opening operation, the sudden loads causing the shaft to turn rapidly and thereby wrenchthe claw-bar or other operating tool from the operators hand and either throwing the operator or causing his injury by being struck with the operating tool:

T he object of my invention is to provide a safety arrangement to be used in con]unction with door operating mechanisms for cars of the type indicated which will permit of an unlimited amount of lost motion between the operators tool and the shaft proper of the door operating mechanism, during the unwinding or unloading operation, after the doors have .been started in their opening movement.

More specifically, the object of my invention is to provide a clutch arrangement particularly designed for application to car door operating mechanisms, which clutch arrangement embodies a reversible pawl and ratchet deviceprovidingfor unlimited lost motion between the claw-bar-actuated element and the operating shaft of the door mechanism proper during the opening movement when the shaft 1s being rotate under the load on the doors, the pawl and ratchet device being so designed that the door mechanism may be wound toclosed and locked position without any lost motion.`

rlhe invention lfurthermore consists in the improvement in the parts and devices and in the novel combinations of the parts and devices herein shown, described and made the subject matter of the claims.

1.11 the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure l is an elevational view of a safety device employed in conjunction with the door operating mechanism of a freight car as the same would appear on the side of a car. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig.V 2. And Fig. a is a part vertical section, part elevation of a door operating mechanism proper and portions of the car doors with which my inventionY isadapted to be employed.

in said drawing, 10 denotes the operating shaft of the door operating mechanism proper, said shaft being suitably mounted in bearings provided on the car in any wellknown manner. ln the drawing I have illustrated one well-known form of door op erating mechanism with which my invention is adapted to be used. Said door operating mechanism proper, as shown, includes a cast hub l1 rigidly secured with the shaft l0, said hub having an arm l2 to which is pivoted a link 13. To the opposite end of the link 13 is pivoted a short block or link lll having a heavy lug l5 which is adapted to seat on the hub ll against a shoulder 16, when the parts are in closed or locked position. Pivotally attached to the link leiis a hook-shaped elongated link 17 pivotally connected at its lower end to one door 18 by the adjustable eye-bolt: 19.- A second hook-shaped elongated link 20 is also pivotally attached to the link 14- at its upper-end and to theother door 2l at its lower end by the eye-bolt 22. The door operating mechanism just 'described is so designed,

that when the doors are in closed position, the operating shaft is relieved of torsional. strains and the mechanism is self-locked. This is due to the location ofthe various pivotal connections and to open the doors, the shaft l0 is rotated in a clockwise direction asviewed in Figli, through a short larc until the points of pivotal connection become so disposed that the load on the doors, Y

acting through the linkage will tend torotate the shaft 1U at a high speed. A more detailed description of the door operating mechanism is thought unnecessary for the reason that it is well-known.

The safety device proper, as shown, 4comprises, broadly, a. hub A, a tool-actuated member B, a cover plate C, a ratchet wheel D, a double-ended pawl E, spring F, and pawloperating lever G.

The hub or housing member A is provided with a sleeve 23 having a suitable socket to accommodate the outer end of the shaft 10, the shaft and socket being preferably of non-circular form so as to insure rotation of the hub A and shaft l() in unison at all times. A rivet 24 is passed through the sleeve 23 and shaft l() to hold the parts together. Gutwardly of the sleeve 23, the hub is provided with a web 25 which extends at right angles to the aXis of the shaft 10, the web 25 being provided at its periphery with a circular flange 26 so as to form a housing for the other parts contained therewithin.

The claw-bar or other tool-actuated member B has an outer squared end 27 to receive the claw-bar or other `tool and at its inner end 'is preferably .formed integral with the ratchet wheel D. The latter has its inner end` rounded as indicated at23 so as to be journaled in a corresponding' bearing 29 provided in the hub member A. Between the squared section'l' and the ratchet wheel D, a circular flange is lprovided indicated at 30, the latter having ashoulder 3l extending therearound to thereby accommodate the correspondingly flanged and shouldered cover plate C. The latter is mounted within the flange 26 of the hub A and is preferably flushV with the outer edge of the flange 26. Said coverplate C is secured to the hub A by any suitable means such as theV bolts The pawl E has two teeth 33 and 34 at opposite ends thereof, said teeth being so arranged that one co-acts with the ratchet wheel D to effect rotation in one direction and the other tooth in the opposite direction. The pawl E is mounted on a squared section 35 of a short shaft extending through the cover plate C and web 25 and journaled therein. At its inner end, said shaft is threaded as indicated at 36 to accommodate a nut 37 which holds the shaft in place, the nut being prevented from'working off by a cotter 38. The pawl E has a notch 39 therein to receive a Vcurled end 40 of the spring F. The latter is carried around the flange 26l of the hub to a point approximately diametrically opposite the pawl where the curled end 4l of the spring is seated in a suitable notch 42 provided ina lug 43 formed integral with the hub- The spring is so designed that it will yieldingly hold the'pawl E in either of its two operating positions and will permit either tooth 33 or 34 to ride over the teeth of the ratchet wheel D in accordance with-thefparticular direction in which the ratchet wheel D is' rotatingrelative to the pawl E or the latter rotating relative to the ratchet wheel D.

At its outer end, the pawl-carrying shaft has thev short lever G formed integral therewith, said lever G being adapted for manual operation so as to effect the'necessary changes of position of the pawl E, 'as will be understood.

The hub A is also provided with a series of shoulders 44 around the periphery thereof with which is adapted to coperate a lockleases the dog 45 in the usual manner. The Y claw-bar is then applied to the squared section 27 of the clutch member B andthe clutch member B rotated in a clockwise direction, as'viewed in F ig. 1. By referenceV to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the hubA will be rotated in the same direction Awithout loss of motion due to the relative positions of the ratchet wheel D and toot-h 33. This in turn of course willfeffect rotation of the operating shaft l0 in a similar' direction,there' by starting the linkages to unwind@ This will continue until such time as the linkages are unlocked and the load Vis transferred to a torsional strain on the shaft V10. This causes the shaft 10 to continue in aclockwise direction at av high speed and consequently the hub A will also rotate at high speed in a clockwise direction. -As this' occurs, the tooth 33 of the pawl E will rlde'freely over the ratchet wheel D so that the latter and various types of door operating mechanism,-

some of which require only a partial revolution and others more than a'complete revolution of lost mot1on in order to obtain-:the

necessary safety for the operator.

With thedoors in open position, anddesiring toV close the doors, the operator shifts` the position of the pawlY E by swinging the short leverGr so as to bring the tooth 34'into operative relation with the ratchet wheel D. The operator then applies the claw-bar and winds up the parts by rotating in a counterclockwise direction untill such time' as the doors are locked. The lockingdog 45 may,

then be thrown into position as the usual precautionary measure. During the closing` movement, it will be noted that no lost motion occurs between the member B and the hub A so that the time and labor are thereby saved. Should the operator leave the pawl E in the position used to close the doors, no injury can result to the operator when the doors are neXt opened for the reason that, should the operator start to rotate the element B in a clockwisedirection, the ratchet wheel D would merely slip by the tooth 34: of the pawl E and the operator would therefore be compelled to shift the position of the pawl E in order to start the opening movement of the doors. y

The device which I have herein shown and described is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, is compact, the pawl and ratchet arrangement is completely housed and therefore free from injurious effects of the weather and dirt, and any desired amount of lost motion is obtainable without changes in the mechanism.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred method of carrying out the invention, the same is merely illustrative, and I contemplate all such changes and modifications-as come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. In a safety device for car door operating mechanism having an'operating shaft, the combination with two clutch members relatively rotatable an unlimited amount, one of said clutch members being arranged for rigid connection to the shaft and the other adapted to be operated by a claw bar or other similar tool, of a ratchet on one of said clutch members, a reversiblev pawl on the other of said clutch members, said clutch member adapted for rigid connection to the shaft having a series of peripheral shoulders entirely separate from said ratchet, and a locking dog coperable with said shoulders.

2. In a safety device for car door operating mechanisms having an operating shaft, the combination with a clutch member adapted to be rigidly secured to the shaft and having a pawl carried thereby and a plurality of peripherally located shoulders; of a clutch member loosely rotatably mounted with respect to the first named clutch member and adapted to be actuated by a tool, said second clutch member having a ratchet wheel rigid therewith coperable with said pawl; and a pivoted locking dog adapted to coperate with said shoulders.

3. In a safety device for door operating mechanism having an operating shaft, the combination with a hollow .housing adapted to be rigidly connected with the shaft, said housing comprising a hub and a cover plate, of an element rotatably mounted on said housing and having a ratchet wheel located therewithin, said element having a section adapted to receive an operating tool, and a spring-controlled reversible pawl also mounted within the housing and coperable with said ratchet wheel.

4:. In a door operating mechanism for cars and the like, the combination with a shaft; of a hub rigidly secured to said shaft, said hub having a plurality of peripherally disposed shoulders; a reversible pawl mounted on said hub; a tool operated element rotatably mounted on the hub and provided with a ratchet wheel coperable with said pawl; means for changing the y positionV of said reversible pawl; and a pivoted locking dog adapted to coperate with said shoulders.

5. In a safety device for car door operating mechanism having an operating shaft, the combination with a hollow housing adapted to be rigidly connected with said shaft, said housing having on the interior thereof a clutch-acting element; of a member rotatably mounted with respect to Said housing and having a coperating clutch element within the housing, said last named member being adapted to be operated by a claw bar or the like, one of said clutch elements consisting of a ratchet and the other a reversible pawl; and means, operable from the outside of the housing, for shifting the position of the pawl.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 18th day of Sept., 1919. l'

JOHN F. OCONNOR. 

